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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The first meal I ever made was Mac and Cheese and one of my favorite birthday gifts was when this glorious creation came in a huge bucket! I hope my mac and cheese skills have improve because I remember a time when I added so much milk that it was more of a soup...and my mom never said a thing! She just ate it and told me it was great...now that's love!

Now that I have 'grown up' it is a meal that I make frequently for the hubbs but I have been looking for something more. This is the third baked mac and cheese recipe I have tried and this is the only one I plan to make again because, it was amazing! Very quick and easy because you just toss a bunch of stuff into a pan and bake for 30 mins! What more can you ask for?

8 oz. package elbow macaroni ( I used Penne because that was what I had in the cupboard)

8 oz. package shredded sharp cheddar cheese

12 oz. container cottage cheese

8 oz. container sour cream

1/2 cup Italian cheese blend (parmesan, asiago, fontina)

Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta - cook until done and drain. In a 2.5-quart baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Italian cheese, salt and pepper. You may sprinkle additional cheese on top before baking.Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

Monday, December 28, 2009

I hope everyone had safe travels over Christmas! We got 'stranded' back in our hometown and had 28 inches of snow waiting for us when we returned home! Boy, was that fun.

Onto the food, when I think Christmas, I think peanut butter blossoms. I'm not quite sure why this magical cookie only makes an appearance around Christmas but I sure enjoy them when they do! This is another recipe from the Hershey's Christmas magazine and they turned out delightful. These cookies are so easy to make and quick to bake! My sister and I made them at the end of the day when we were tired of baking but knew these had to be done! Saved the best for last.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

After borrowing my Mom's stand mixer to complete all my Christmas baking....I am so excited and blessed to receive a beautiful KitchenAid Stand mixer in the mail today!!

I want to wish everyone the MOST amazing Christmas filled with friends, family and fun! I will be back with this, 'blogging thing,' after Christmas with all the other yummy goodies made during my sister's stay.

I love oreos. I love cream cheese. I love chocolate. So what happens when all three are combined? Pure bliss! I have heard so many positive comments about these delicious little balls of heaven that I had to make them. They were so simple and so fast! Plus the taste...oh my goodness, the taste! These will be added to my favorite's list and utilized whenever a great treat is needed. I love that they are all individual as they trick me into thinking portion control!

I would like to say a huge thank you to my guest chef....my 12 year old sister E! I was so blessed to have her come and stay with me for 3 days for a bake-a-thon! These truffles were her first experience of using almond bark and she caught on quick. She sure had great attention to detail with using both sprinkles and drizzle.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

I saw these delicious little treats on Bakerella and was so excited to try them. I had been completely in dark about red velvet cake until a good friend's beautiful winter wedding where guess what was served?? Red velvet CAKE! I was also looking for new and different Christmas goodies and with their minimal ingredients and fool proof instructions, I was set. The hubs and I hosted a small Christmas party for our closest friend's and everyone was sent home with goodie jars. These cake balls were by far the favorite and will be added to my annual baking list. I made them with white almond bark simply because I liked the sharp contrast and the taste, but you can make your own judgement call.

Hubs approval rating: "I love the almond bark and the cake is really good, even though it's red, that's kind of strange." Haha...that's his version of a positive.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

I have always been a HUGE fan of cheesecake and it's thick, rich goodness. My mom and I have been known to drool over cheesecake and we even have a routine of the proper way to savor cheesecake. Now, I have tried to teach the hubbs this important sequence of events but he doesn't quite get it. He doesn't 'appreciate' the cheesecake. Poor men, they miss all the important things in life.

However, I have been intimidated of making my own cheesecake because of the crust. I don't care for the idea of crushing up cookies, adding butter and hoping it all holds together. But I got an amazing Hershey's magazine and this recipe was calling out to me. It was also very simple and quick to make. The Heath bits really helped cover up any blemishes.

Regrets: I need to perfect my method of cutting cheesecake. I sort of 'butchered' it and as a result, the pieces are choppy.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat on low speed until blended.

Friday, December 18, 2009

So here I am. After reading (some may say stalking) several other cooking blogs, I have been inspired to start one of my own. One that chronicles my attempts to fall into that 'perfect wife' category. One that depicts my attempts to multitask and accomplish amazing feats, be it cooking, cleaning, organizing, decorating, studying or entertaining. One that makes me feel more worth of being my mothers' daughter, because you see, I am one of those girls that thought my mother had it all together.

The food listed in this blog will not be of Julia Child's french cuisine but rather a creative take on basics like Mac & Cheese. I have a picky husband who hates marinara sauce and chunky potatoes so I am forever struggling to find foods that will please everyone. I will not spend 20 minutes to get the perfect picture or smooth edges. I rather hope to inspire other 'average' chefs to feel successful within their own realms. So I encourage you to judge by taste instead of by looks. I will list a hubs approval rating at the end of each item as I figure if I can win him over, it should be a hit with others.

This leads to who I am. Well, I just so happen to feel the need to describe myself in bullet format.

Clumsy left handed girl; I was created backwards and continue to pay for it